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 to where we keep them informed on what is going on, who our candidates

 are, what the issues are and what the other side has done that we

 consider wrong. We put out a monthly newsletter to them, I don't know

 if Bill showed you one of them or not, but we try to keep them informed

 on what is going on in Tallahassee, what is going on in Washington. And

 then come election time, the people on the county committees organize

 the campaigns for all the candidates that we have, and we haven't had

 that many statewide candidates in the past, but they know that we are

 going to have this year and in the future and it gives a candidate a

 good strong base to work from.

 J.B.: Are there any elected black Republican officials in Florida?

 Thomas: No, not that I know of, except on county committees. We have

 several of them serving on county committees, in Palm Beach County and

 Broward County in particular, but I don't know of an elected black in

 a county commission job or something like that. In fact, we don't have

 many black Republicans in Florida.

 J.B.: How do you approach that situation?

 Thomas: You know, I wish I knew how to approach it. I've been very

 unsuccessful at it. Unfortunately, most of the blacks that have talked

 to me about getting into the Republican party and doing something,

 they are really, they expect a whole lot for nothing. And I tell them

 that we can't out promise the Democrats, there is no way. We just can't

 do it. I'm not going to lie to them. But all of them usually want money.

 And I tell them that we don't have any money to give them. The state

 party is supported by filing fees and contributions by people at the

 county level and we don't have money to give them back. We have tried

 in some cases to help some, particularly in Palm Beach County, and it




From the Southern Oral History Program, #4007, Interview 4-64 in the Southern Historical Collection,
University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. FOR REFERENCE ONLY: PERMISSION TO
PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED. WARNING: MOST MANUSCRIPTS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT.